Synopsis

SpongeBob has a man arrested for littering. After calling the police on him and having him arrested, Squidward reveals that the stranger is, in fact, the Tattle-Tale Strangler, an extremely dangerous criminal who murders anyone who reports him to the cops by strangling them. Seconds later, the Strangler escapes, and begins planning to kill SpongeBob. SpongeBob looks for a bodyguard for protection, but no one would take the job knowing that they would have to face the Strangler. SpongeBob decides to go into hiding until the Strangler gives up on him, until a man who is obviously the Strangler using a fake mustache as a disguise offers to take the job, intending to lead SpongeBob to a place where he can kill him with no other witnesses. SpongeBob, oblivious to his identity, hires him.

However, SpongeBob needs to run some errands first. They are faced by every possible delay, and when they finally get to SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob realizes he lost his key and looks for it in his pockets for 20 minutes. The Strangler suggests entering through the window. The window is too high for him to reach, so the Strangler asks SpongeBob to climb on his shoulders. SpongeBob, now with sharp cleats on his shoes, does so, his shoes going directly inside of the Strangler's eyeholes. He runs around for 6 hours before finally pulling the shoes out.

SpongeBob eventually remembers that the key was under his doormat. The Strangler then locks the doors and starts to choke SpongeBob. The lights then turn on, revealing a "100% on-time average" surprise party. SpongeBob acts surprised, asking how they knew, with Patrick saying that they just did what the invitations told them to do. The party goes on for a considerable length of time. The Strangler then attempts to choke him again, but the guests come back for a birthday party for SpongeBob. Finally alone, he tries again, but then Patrick shows up for some odd reason. The Strangler tries to get rid of him, saying "He could be the Strangler in disguise". Patrick then runs off thinking that he is the strangler, breaking through the wall and running off to turn himself in.

SpongeBob is confused upon realizing that Patrick is the Strangler. The real Strangler, enraged, reveals his true identity and intentions by removing his disguise. However, SpongeBob still fails to understand, and is amazed at the Strangler being able to tear off his mustache without shaving cream. The Strangler says "Oh, it's a fake, you idiot! I bought it at the party store!" The Guests return overhearing the word "party." The Strangler runs away, but SpongeBob goes after him, saying he still needs protection from the "strangler". He attempts to escape in a series of vehicles, but SpongeBob catches up every time. Eventually, he lands in the police department in a jail cell and SpongeBob learns the truth. The Strangler says "At least I'm safe from that yellow idiot!" Immediately, the Strangler finds Patrick in his cell, who asks, "Hey, Mac, what're ya in for?"

Reception

Trivia

There are many clues throughout the episode that suggest SpongeBob knew it was the strangler in disguise: he takes too long with his errands, sticks cleats into the strangler's eyes, chases him all the way back to jail and puts him in a cell, and at one point says "Thanks Strangler, oh, I mean bodyguard". It's possible SpongeBob knew the strangler was in disguise and was trying to get him to go away, or go back to jail,or both.

This episode reveals that Bikini Bottom has an airport.

The end of the episode may have been partly based on the Droopy cartoons produced by MGM in the 1940s, with SpongeBob taking the place of the dog popping up where ever the criminal is (inside the plane, his parachute, finally in jail; parachute actually was a gag in the 1946 cartoon "Northwest Hounded Police" also taxicabs seen in numerous)

In the Korean version, the police don't say anything about SpongeBob being a tattle-tale.

Bikini Bottom International makes its first (and only) appearance in this episode.

When Squidward shows SpongeBob the picture with the Strangler on it, the number he is holding says "122068". But when SpongeBob shows Mr. Krabs the picture of the Strangler, the number is "021066".

The "20 minutes later" time card is the same as the title card for Graveyard Shift.

This is the fifth episode where its title card is animated, the fourth being "One Krabs Trash .

Strangler's number same as accident company's number in No Free Rides.

This is the first time someone attempts to kill SpongeBob. The second will be in The Lost Mattress where Squidward threatened to murder SpongeBob and even tried to have SpongeBob get mauled by a guard worm. The third will be in Demolition Doofus where Mrs. Puff wants SpongeBob dead by getting crashed in the Demolition Derby. She even tries to kill him herself.

The part with the Strangler hangs on to the parachute was a little borrowed fromm 1943s Yankee Doodle Daffy directed by Friz Freleng. It is a Looney Tunes short. Porky was hanging on to Daffy. But SpongeBob was in a parachute form while Daffy was in his duck form.

Cultural References

The spiked cleats that get stuck in the Strangler's eyes is similar with the climbing spike gag in 1942 Three Stooges short, "They Stooge to Conga".

Errors

In Indonesia, instead of saying paper towel, he is saying pepper.

When SpongeBob checks in for work, below the clock are more than 3 slips, despite there being only 3 employees.

When SpongeBob goes out of the Krusty Krab to clean up litter, for a couple of seconds his pants are black in color. In the next scene, they're back to normal.

When SpongeBob enters the Krusty Krab, he goes directly into Mr. Krabs office without going through the main cafe. This may be because it just fit the "flow" of the scene better.

When SpongeBob arrives with the Strangler at his house, bamboo wallpaper is up. But when the party is revealed, the wallpaper changes to green with flowers. When the party members leave, it changes back to the old wallpaper, then back to the flower wallpaper when the party members arrive again.

When SpongeBob is in front of his house looking for his key, he doesn't have a mat, but when he gets the key the mat is there.

When the Strangler says that the maniac could be anywhere, there is a $5 tag hanging from his faux mustache, in other scenes, the tag is gone.

After SpongeBob says he has to run some errands and the Strangler gets mad, the Strangler's white undershirt disappears.

When the Strangler said "Sorry, tubby, you gotta go.", Patrick isn't mad. In the episode "No Weenies Allowed", when SpongeBob says "You're going down, tubby", he is mad at him.

After the Strangler takes off his disguise, the returning party guests didn't realize he was the Strangler, including Squidward who had seen him at the beginning.

When SpongeBob and Strangler enter SpongeBob's house and Strangler closes the door, the light on SpongeBob's face makes it appear as though two doors were closing.

In most episodes, SpongeBob and Patrick manage to get into each other's houses, or in Squidward's house without a key, but in this episode, a key is needed to enter SpongeBob's house.

Squidward hates SpongeBob, but he attends the party without forcement (or pressure).

If SpongeBob sent out invitations, it wouldn't be a surprise party.

When Squidward shows SpongeBob the picture with the Strangler on it, the number he is holding says "122068". But when SpongeBob shows Mr. Krabs the picture of the Strangler, the number is "021066".

How could the Strangler get through the Airport and into the airplane without being noticed?

After SpongeBob puts in his slip, the clock's arms stop moving.

Squidward should have gotten 100% on time because the clock stopped moving.

Patrick is seen at both parties, but after the first party, Patrick isn't seen in the line or said good-bye to by SpongeBob. It is possible that he was in the second line and said good-bye to by SpongeBob.

The Strangler has 10 fully functional separate fingers, similar to Dr. Gill Gilliam, who has 8, as well as SpongeBob himself. However in later scenes his fingers are replaced by a fin. He is also one of the few characters who wears a pair of shoes.

When SpongeBob shows Mr. Krabs the picture of the Strangler, The name "TattleTale Strangler" was covered in censor bars. When the scene comes back to SpongeBob, and Mr. Krabs, the censor bars are gone.